Kenia is ready to win Gensan Giulietta & Romeo Half Marathon

Expo Marathon at Agsm Forum Palaspot opens on Friday

(Verona) – On Friday afternoon will open Gensan Giulietta & Romeo Half Marathon Expo at Agsm Forum, a magical weekend for the 11th edition of Verona half marathon will begin from that moment.

This year is special thanks for the Lidl Monument Run that will take place for the first time, the non-competitive 5km race that will take place entirely in the historic center through the main monuments of the city. With this non-competitive race that joins the half marathon and the Agsm Duo Marathon relay race, everyone will have the opportunity to live a day as protagonist in this Sunday morning.

Top runners will be definitely faster and will be absolute protagonists of the race; they will try reaching the podium of one of the most important half marathons in Italy and Europe. While Abel Kirui announced a few weeks ago a physical indisposition, there are other five Kenyans at the start line. Africa for decades is the undisputed master on the world scene of road racing. With bib number 1 we find Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo who has a personal record on the distance of 21.097km: 1h00’16 “done at Roma-Ostia in March 2016 and who repeated, same time, also in 2017 in the same race. He could be the athlete able to beat the record of 1h00’24 “set last year by Edwin Koech, always Kenyan who triumphed in the tenth edition.

Bib number 2 to Ishmale Chelanga Kalale who was born in 1995 and with 1h02’16 ” he did his best result on the Nice race in 2016. He already raced in Verona in February 2016 finishing 2nd with 1h03’15”, while in March 2017 raced at Stramilano in 1h04’27. Bin number 3 for Rodgers Maiyo with his personal best done in Arezzo in 2015 with 1h01’56 “, bib number 4 for Reuben Kiprop Kerio who at Lago Maggiore Half Marathon in March 2017 recorded 1h01’21” and the marathon distance in 2h’08’12 “, really exceptional.

From Poland Arkadiusz Gardzielewski who has a best of 1h03’28 “made in 2011 while in 2017 he was able to run in 1h04’20” at the Prague half marathon in April. Bib Number 8 to the Austrian, by marriage, but Kenyan origin Edwin Kipchirchir Kemboi third in Gensan Juliet & Romeo Half Marathon in 2013 with 1h05’49 “which is almost his personal best. 1h05’31 “done in Udine in 2013.The last athlete from Kenya to be announced is bib number 9 Paul Kariuki Mwangi who with his record of 1h01’30” made in Lugano in May 2017 is a serious candidate for the final victory.

Among Italians we find with the bib number 10 the young, from trentino, Cesare Maestri, European gold team in the mountain running championships in Arco di Trento in 2017. 1h05’54 “for him last year here on the streets of Verona where he made his debut on this distance. Maestri was and remains a protagonist of mountain races. In 2017 he also won the Italian mountain race title long distances. The homonymy with the great mountaineer, partisan and writer Cesare Maestri (“the spider of the Dolomites”) is only casual, between the two of them there is no familiarity even if “Cesaretto” knows and admires him. “Cesaretto” is also, next to his master’s degree in engineering energy at the University of Trento and Bolzano.

Among the other Italians we find Yassine El Fathaoui, Francesco Bona, Giovanni Grano and Michele Palamini who will certainly play the placements of honour giving the audience and participants of the half of Verona thrills and emotions.

DIRECT STREAMING – A beautiful garment to be wearing in the race day to colour the streets of Verona and a wonderful ‘souvenir’ to wear in future workouts. The “river of people”on the streets of Verona will be, undoubtedly, an exceptional view, a show that will go worldwide thanks to the alive streaming that organizers are preparing on the website and on the YouTube page of the event. Verona with all its beauties and its races will therefore be visible to anyone and everywhere.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS – Gensan Giulietta & Romeo Half Marathon event is possible thanks to the fundamental support of the Municipality of Verona and the Patronage of the “Camera di Comercio” I.A.A. A special thanks goes also to our partners, many of them following us for many years, always renewing their trust. First the title sponsor Gensan, the Main Sponsors Agsm, Lidl and Zuegg. For the second consecutive year Technical Sponsor will be Joma, official car will still be Fimauto. Green Sponsors will still be Amia and Acque Veronesi, among the Partners we find Virgin Active and Decathlon with the shops of San Giovanni Lupatoto and Villafranca (Vr). Official suppliers: Eurocompany, ZeroWind and Armando De Angelis. Media Partner: Radio NumberOne and Telenuovo